Safety device for mine-shafts.



No. 774,655. PATEN TEDNOV. 8, 19 04. N. W. DIOKERSON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MINE SHAFTS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 190 1 HO FEEL Smvemtoz Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT Qrricn.

NORVAL WV. DICKERSON, OF DERW'ENT, OHIOL SAFETY DEVICE FOR lVllNE-SHAFTS. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,655, dated November 8, 1904.

Application filed February 12,1904. Serial No. 193,811. (No model.)

[0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORVAL W. DICKERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Derwent, in the county of Guernsey and State'of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Mine-Shafts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for preventing mine-cars from falling from a landing into a shaft pit; and it is designed more particularly as an improvement upon the means forming the subject-matter of my Letters Patent No. 747,951, of December 29, 1903.

The object of my present invention is to provide simple and eflicient means calculated to stop a car and prevent the passage of the same toward an elevator-shaft when a preceding car is approaching the shaft or is on the elevator at the landing.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is .a plan view illustrating my novel safety device with the parts in position to permit a car to pass to an elevator at the landing and stop a following car, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the carstopping levers of my novel device.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in both views of the drawings, referring to which- A is a mine-shaft. B is an elevator-car movable in the shaft and provided with rails is at the landing, and D E are mining-cars movable on the rails Z) (0. These parts may be and preferably are of the ordinary wellknown construction.

F F are horizontally-movable levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of the railway formed by the rails o.

G is a trigger which is preferably in the form of a shaft journaled at 0 and having arms (Z c disposed within the shaft and outside of the same, respectively.

H is a horizontally-movable lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length between the rails b of the landing.

I is a bar interposed between and pivotally connected to the forward arm of the lever H and the arm 6 of shaft G.

' J is a bar pivotally connected to and connecting the forward arm of the lever H and the forward arm of one lever F.

K is a bar pivoted to and connecting the rear arm of the lever H and the forward arm of the other lever F. i

L is a weight arranged to move vertically. M is a bar pivotally connected to the rear arm of the lever H and extending laterally therefrom, and P is a cable passed over a vertical sheave, as shown in Fig. 1, and connecting the bar M and the weight L.

The levers F differ from the corresponding levers of the apparatus constituting the subject-matter of my aforesaid Letters Patent in the particulars hereinafter pointed out. The other parts of my present apparatus, however, are similar to the corresponding parts of my patented apparatus, and hence it will be seen that the gravitation of the weight L operates through the medium of the cable P, bar M, lever H, and bars J K to move and hold the forward arms of the lovers F against the rails Z) and assures the forward arms of the levers normally resting in position to prevent 'rails b. This will obviously permit a car to pass the forward arms of the levers F and move on the elevator-car B. It will also be noticed that when the elevator-car moves upwardly from the landing and out of engagement with the arm cl the weight L will opcrate to return the parts to and hold them in their normal positions, the normal positions of the levers F being with their forward arms against the rails Z), in which position said arms are calculated to preclude another car passing to the shaft and falling down the same.

As will be readily observed by reference to the drawings, the levers F have rearwardlyextending arms F, which terminate in portions T, adapted when in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1 to block the passage of a car.

In virtue of the levers F being provided with the said arms IF it will be seen that when the device is actuated to permit a car D to pass from the rails b on the landing to the rails a on the elevator-car the passage of a following car is precluded by the portions of the arms F which rest over the rails 6, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. When, however, the levers F are returned to their normal p0sitionsa'. 6., with their forward arms against the rails bit will be observed that the following car is released from the arms F and is free to pass to and bring up against the forward arms of the levers. Then when the device is actuated by the elevator-car the said following car is left free to pass on the elevator-car in the manner described with reference to the first-mentioned car.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my improved device is automatic in action and may be relied on to effectually pre vent the passage of more than one mining-car to the elevator-car at a time.

Notwithstanding the advantages of the rear arms F of the levers Fit will be noticed that said arms add but little to the cost of the de- 7 Vice.

1 have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. 1 do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination of an elevator-shaft, an elevator-car movable in the shaft and provided with rails, a landing provided with rails arranged to register with those of the elevatorcar, a horizontally-movable lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length alongside one of the rails on the landing, and having a forward arm for preventing the passage of a car when the elevator-car is away from the landing, and a rear arm for preventing the passage of a car when the elevator-car is at the landing, means for normally holding the lever so that its forward arm rests in the path of a car on the landing-rails, a rock-shaft journaled in a suitable bearing and having arms at its ends; one of said arms being arranged to be engaged by the elevator, a longitudinally-disposed lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on the landing, a bar connecting the other arm of the rock-shaft and the forward arm of the said lever, and a bar connecting the said lever and the first-mentioned lever.

2. The combination of an elevator-shaft, an elevator-car movable in the shaft and. provided with rails, a landing provided with rails arranged to register with those of the elevatorcar, horizontally-movable levers fulcrumed at an intermediate point of their length alongside the rails on the landing, and having forward arms for preventing the passage of a car when the elevator-car is away from the landing, and rear arms for preventing the passage of a car when the elevator-car is at the landing, a rock-shaft having arms one of which is arranged to be engaged by the elevator-car, a longitudinally-disposed lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on the landing and movable horizontally between the rails thereof, a bar connecting the other arm of the rock-shaft and the forward arm of said lever, bars connecting the said lever and the forward arms of the first-mentioned levers, a weight and a cable connecting said weight and the rear arm of the lever between the landingrails.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NORVAL w. moKERsoN.

'Witnesses:

URANUS H. CORWIN, CLARENCE TURNER. 

